


An Aching

by tsukinofaerii



Category: Marvel (Movies)
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2010-09-07
Updated: 2010-09-07
Packaged: 2017-10-11 13:47:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 678
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/113056
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tsukinofaerii/pseuds/tsukinofaerii
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Pepper is a little sore; Natalie has a solution.</p>
            </blockquote>





	An Aching

**Author's Note:**

> Written for HC Bingo: Sore Muscles

Pepper rested her head against the breakfast bar, arms stretched out before her, wrists dangling limply over the edge. It was a nice, cold, _immobile_ bar. It wasn't going to make her do things that were better left for teenagers and bendy people, or tell her to get up and try again when she fell, or demand just _one more throw_ before letting her go free. Every muscle in her ached, from the top of her head down to her feet. She hadn't even bothered trying to get dressed that morning, staggering to the kitchen in a slip and a lavender bathrobe. Buttons were beyond her. If it hadn't been for JARVIS and Dummy, she never would have even managed to make herself coffee.

Thank God she hadn't tried to drive home the night before.

High heels clicked on the kitchen tile. There were only two women in the house. Tony was being yelled at by Fury, and unless Steve had a quirk she didn't know about it probably wasn't him. By process of elimination, Pepper felt perfectly in her rights to point a finger and groan accusingly without looking up.

Natalie's footsteps paused. "Feeling a little sore?"

"I hate you."

Wood scraped tile—one of the stools?—and then cool hands brushed her hair aside. They pressed against the back of her neck, forcing her to lift her chin. "If you sit like this, it's only going to get worse. I told you to stretch more."

A thumb pressed into one of the knots at the base of Pepper's skull. She hissed and flinched away, hunching her shoulders upward.

"Stop that." Natalie's hands followed her movements. Her fingers moved in smooth circles, easing out the knots of tension. Soon the pain eased, pressure unraveling itself. When the first knot was done, Natalie moved on to the next one. She had good, strong hands, with oddly placed calluses that felt _just right_ against Pepper's skin. Her thigh pressed up against Pepper's lower back, warm through the thin cotton robe. Without opening her eyes, Pepper guessed that Natalie was in a miniskirt again. They'd been appearing on her a lot lately.

Soon, Pepper had melted face-first into the table. She hadn't had a decent massage since Tony had blown up that Air Force jet over Halloween, and she'd treated herself after the mess. "You're good at that. This is still your fault."

"Hush. I'm trying to fix it." Natalie pushed the bathrobe off her shoulders and set to work on those muscles. Pepper's slip was just a plain indigo, with absolutely no coverage to speak of. She'd worn it for comfort, not modesty. The straps slipped off with the robe, dropping down her arms and dangling uselessly. Firm fingers pressed against her spine, sliding down under the satin of the slip to rub the small of her back. Short typist's nails scratched lightly over her skin.

Red rushed to Pepper's cheeks. She swallowed, hoping that her hair covered it. "You're good at that."

"I have a lot of talents." Natalie leaned forward. The whole length of her body pressed against Pepper's back, breasts a soft pressure against Pepper's shoulder blades. "Do you know what the best solution for soreness is?" Her voice was soft and low, breath tickling the short hairs on Pepper's neck. "Nothing beats it."

Barely able to breathe, Pepper shook her head.

"A Jacuzzi. Good thing Tony has one, isn't it?" Natalie's hand were still trapped between them, splayed against Pepper's lower back. Her fingers flexed, nails digging in just enough to start Pepper breathing again. "Would you like to join me?"

She was Natalie's supervisor. It would be wrong. It would be taking advantage. It would be something _Tony_ would do.

Natalie's nose touched the back of Pepper's neck. "It would be good for you."

That was hard to argue. "Just a short soak. For my muscles."

There was no way she imagined the feel of a smile against her neck. Pepper clenched her eyes shut and wondered what she was about to get into.


End file.
